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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporalion 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRin 

WfBSTIR.N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)«72-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICiVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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T 

P 

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C 
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tl 

si 
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[T^  Showthrough/ 
Ij£J    Transparence 

r^    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


D 
D 


Qualitd  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
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10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


V 


12X 


16X 


20X 


MX 


28X 


32X 


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Les  exempiaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  an 
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darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'Impression  ou  d'iilustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat.  s»lon  le  eas.  Tous  les  autres  exempiaires 
originaux  sont  fllmte  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'Impression  ou  d'iilustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  «^- (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  ▼  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  dee  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


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fiimAs  d  des  taux  de  rMuction  diffirents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6.  il  est  fiimi  A  partir 
de  I  angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  it  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
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UNiTEDLSiiTil  Afe  Canada 


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siPEEoxa:   OIF" 


Sir  Richard  CartWAIght.K.C.M.G. 


AT  THE  ANNUAL  KANQUET  OF  THE 


'.  Board  of  Trade  and  Transportation 
r  ;      -  of  Nev/  Yo^k, 


DELMONICO'S,   FEBRUARY  21,   1890. 


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NEW  lOEK: 

Printed   for^  Erastus  Wiman, 


314     BR,OA.ID"W7">V.Tr. 


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«  ; 


CLOSER  TRADE   RELATI0:NS 


BETWEEN 


Canada  and  United  States 


At  tlie  Ainiiial  Jianquet  of  the  New  York  Board  of 
Trade  and  Transportation,  held  at  Dehnonico\s  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  New  York,  on  the  evening  of  February  21sty  1890^ 
among  tlie  toasts  to  be  responded  to  was  ^^  Closer  Trade 
Kelations  betw^etni  th<^  United  States  and  Canada." 

Mr.  F.  B.  Thurber,  acting  as  Toast-master  on  the  o<*- 
casion,  said  that  it  gave  him  great  gratitication  to  intro- 
duce, as  (me  of  the  i)rincipal  guests  of  the  evening,  Sir 
Richard  Cartwright,  a  member  of  the  Dominion  House  of 
Commons,  who,  perhaps,  of  all  men  on  the  continent,  was 
best  entitled  to  si)eak  on  behalf  of  Canada  in  relation  to 
the  sentiment  of  the  toast.  So  far  as  fiscal  affairs  were 
concerned,  Sir  Richard,  ag  the  Finance  Minister  of  the  late 
Liberal  (iovernment,  was  the  leader  of  Her  Majesty's  ()p- 


position  ill  the  Parliamont  of  ('jiiiada,  wliilc,  before  the 
people  of  the  Doininiou  to-day,  he  was  the  (exponent  and 
uWest  advo(;ate  of  the  pi'iuciphi  of  tlie  <*h)sest  ( /oinmereial 
Itelatioiis  between  the  two  eoniitries.  As  the  existinj>'  Tory 
Governnient  of  Ottawa  liad  pursued  a  l>oliey  dianietrieally 
opposite  to  eidarged  eonnnereial  transaetions  witli  the 
United  States,  and  as  the  Liberal  l*arty  had  adopted  as 
its  chief  platform  the  policy  of  the  obliteration  of  all 
barriers  to  trade  between  the  two  countries,  the  strugj»ie 
l>etween  the  two  i)arties  for  su])reniacy  at  the  fortheondng- 
j»eneral  Parliamentary  election  possessed  great  interest  to 
those  who  would  like  to  see  our  commerce  obtain  the 
widest  extension.  The  guest  of  the  evening,  as  the  prac- 
tical leader  of  the  Liberal  Party  on  all  trade  matters 
aifecting  the  (Ireater  Half  of  the  (Continent,  was  therefore 
most  welcome — (great  applause) — and  what  he  had  to  say 
to  them  would  be  regarded  as  possessing  more  than  the 
usual  significance,  as  indicating  w  hat  might  be  the  future 
policy  which  should  dominate  the  vast  regions  to  the 
North.  A  gentleman  who,  by  his  parliamentary  and  ad- 
ministrative triumphs,  had  won  a  recognition  from  Her 
Majesty  of  a  Knighthood,  and  who  at  the  same  tiiiie  was 
the  representative  of  a  party  wdio  sought  to  admit  to  forty 
per  cent,  of  Her  Majesty's  Empire  American  Goods  free 
of  duty,  was  an  embassador  that  the  Board  of  Trade  and 
Transportation  woidd  most  heartily  welcome,  and  ho  had 
therefore  unusual  gratification  *in  presenting  him  to  their 
hearty  good  good  will. 


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Sir  Itic'HAiii)  CAiiTWKKiHT,  Oil  risiiig",  was  received  witli 
loud  applause,  aud  after  a  few  ]>reliiniiiary  remarks  pro- 
(H^eded  as  follows : 

1  entirely  agree  with  the  j^eutleinau  who  proposed  this 
toast,  in  thinking  that  it  is  high  time,  and  more  than  time, 
that  Canada  and  Urn  United  States  should  come  closer 
together.  It  is  no  paradox,  but  the  simple  truth,  that 
there  never  were  two  ccmntries  so  peculiarly  situated 
towards  each  other,  which  are  at  once  so  near  and  yet  so 
far;  so  easily  accessible,  and  yet,  in  some  important 
respects,  knowing  so  li  Je  of  each  other — having  so  many 
things  in  common,  alik*  substantially  in  race,  in  language, 
in  religion,  in  laws,  in  customs,  and  in  form  of  govern- 
ment, and  yet  kept  so  far  apart  by  i)urely  artificial 
barriers.  Mr.  (Chairman,  it  is  almost  a  blot  on  our  civili- 
zation that  this  should  be  so,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
question  often  arises — is  there  any  good  reason  why  this 
state  of  things  should  be  perpetual  ?  Why  cannot  we 
call  a  truce  to  the  sort  of  commercial  war  on  this 
continent,  whitdi  is  the  effect  of  two  mutually  hostile 
tariffs!  (Applause.) 

It  has  appeared  to  some  of  your  own  public  men,  as  it 
has  also  ap])eared  to  me,  that  it  were  w  ell  those  hostilities 
were  ended,  and  that  it  Avould  be  greatly  to  our  mutual 
{id  vantage,  if  perfectly  unrestricted  trade  relations  between 
us  could  be  brought  about. 

XoT  A  One-sided  Barciain. 

We  in  Canada  hold  a  vast  area  of  territory — as  large,  I 
believe,  as  the  area  of  the  United  States ;  and  despite  all 
drawbacks,  capable  of  sustaining  a  population  as  numer- 
ous as  that  of  the  United  States  is  to-day.    We  have  im- 


<) 


iiieiise  stores  of  niw  material  of  various  kinds,  m\u']\  of 
whicli  Avoiild  be  very  useful  to  you,  {iiid  the  due  devc^loj)- 
uieiit  and  transportation  of  which  wouhl  aftbrd  a  wide 
and  profttaWe  field  for  the  use  of  capital.  We  have  vast 
breadths  of  fertile  land,  and  important  lines  of  transit 
runnin|»:  through  your  territory,  and  likely  to  be  of  great 
service  to  several  important  secti<ms  of  your  country. 
(Applause.)  Of  the  advantages  to  C'anada  I  need  not 
speak  just  now.  I  recognize  them  fully,  and  on  the  floor 
of  the  Parliament  of  Canada  I  have  spoken  of  them  as 
emphatically  as  T  think  any  of  you  (iould  desire.  All  I 
wish  at  present  to  impress  upon  you  is,  that  in  seeking 
for  closer  trade  relations  we  want  no  one-sided  bargain. 
We  hope  and  intend  to  give  you  a  full  equivalent  for  what 
you  give  us.  For  every  dollar  that  a  ( 3anadian  makes  we 
wish  that  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  should  make  an- 
other. For  every  privilege,  every  concession,  every  ad- 
vantage of  every  kind  which  you  grant,  we  projxise  to 
grant  a  similar  one  in  return,  if  w(i  sell  to  you,  we  exjiect 
to  buy  from  you  in  return — in  one  word,  we  want  a  full, 
true,  perfect,  unrestricted  reciprocity  between  the  two 
nations,  as  near  as  possible  to  that  ideal  condition  of  all 
true  commerce  where  both  parties  gain,  and  if  possible 
gain  equally,  in  the  (course  of  every  transaction.  (Ap- 
plause.) Sir,  I  make  no  pretence  to  any  spcM^al  philan- 
thropy in  making  this  statement.  I  am  anxious  that 
matters  should  be  arranged  for  our  mutual  benefit,  for 
this  very  excellent  reason.  I  know  full  well  that  unless 
it  can  be  so  arranged  it  is  utterly  impossible  that  any 
permanent  settlement  can  be  arrived  at  between  you  and 
Canada,  and  T  would  hold  it  no  gain,  but  a  great  injury 
to  Canada,  to  enter  into  one  which  would  necessarily  be  of 
a  temporary  character.    (Applause.) 


'i\ 


The  PossiiiLE  Extent  oi'"  Uontinkntai.  Trade. 


J 


'? 


Ooming  down  lower  from  decliimatioii  to  real  facts, 
I  would  like  to  call  your  attention  to  a  few  statistics 
drawn  from  your  own  trade  returns,  which,  in  my  Jndj»- 
ment,  go  far  to  show  that  there  are,  at  your  very  doors, 
the  elements  of  a  trade  not  altogether  unworthy  of  the 
consideration  of  even  sO  great  a  nation  as  the  TJuite^l 
States.    I  observe  that  in  spite  of  all  the  two  (Govern- 
ments have  done  to  penalize  trade — in  spite  of  the  .'»,00() 
miles  of  barbed  wire  fence  which  Mr.  Wiman  so  persist- 
ently brings  to  your  notice,  and  all  other  impediments — 
Dame  Nature  is  so  nmch  too  strong  for  tarifts,  tlmt 
actually  to-day  your  trade  per  capita  with  (/ana da  is 
larger  than  it  is  with  any  other  country — larger  in  pro- 
portion than  it  is  even  with  England,  which  admits  all 
your  products  free  of    toll,  without  let  or  hindrance. 
(Great  applause).     Sir,  I  see  that  while  your  total  trade 
with  England  reaches  to  some  540  millions  on  a  popula- 
tion of  37  or  38  millions,  your  total  recorded  trade  with 
Canada,  with  a  population  of  perhaps  4J  millions,  was 
about  82  millions,  so  that,  without  speaking  of  sundry 
millions  of  goods  which  cross  the  border  without  any 
unnecessary  fonnalities — (Laughter) — you  will  see  that, 
even  as  it  is,  you  do  a  larger  business  in  proportion  Avith 
us  than  even  with  Great  Britain. 


A  Greater  Trade  than  in  the  South. 
It  is  noteworthv  too  that  while  Canada  stands  fourth 

ft/ 

in  the  list  of  countries  with  which  you  trade,  taking 
exports  and  imports  together,  if  you  look  to  your  column 
of  exports  you  will  see  that  you  sell  more  goods  to 


8 


Canada  tliaii  you  do  to  any  other  conntiy,  (ireat  Britain 
and  (icnnany  alom*  excepted,  Canada  and  France  lieinj;- 
about  equal ;  and,  further,  tlnit  your  sales  to  Canada 
alone  equal  tlie  sum  total  of  your  sales  to  IJrazil,  Peru, 
(Jliili,  the  Argentine  Kepublie,  the  Columbian  States — 
in  one  word,  that  Canada  buys  to-day  as  nmch  from  you 
as  the  whole  continent  of  South  America  with  the  Kepub- 
lic  of  Mexico  thrown  in.     (Cheers.) 

])0l  UL1j\(^   the   AllEA  OF  NOUTIIEIIN  TRADE. 

Gentlemen,  practically,  to  all  intents  and  puri>oses, 
reciprocity  witli  Canada,  on  such  terms  as  I  propose  it, 
would  equal,  for  commercial  objects,  doubling:  the  entire 
tier  of  l*^orthern  States  from  New  England  to  Oregon. 
2iibw,  what  does  that  mean  ?  Tt  means  this.  If  your  own 
economists  are  to  be  relied  on,  your  Inter-State  trade 
has  assumed  proportions  vastly  greater  than  your  foreign 
trade.  If  I  am  not  misinformed,  your  total  exports  and 
imports  rang'^.  from  Fourteen  to  Fifteen  Hundred  Millions 
per  annum,  but  your  Inter-State  trade  is  computed  to 
amount  to  the  almost  fabulous  ilgure  of  Ten  Thousand 
Millions,  or  even  more.  Of  the  exact  accuracj'  of  these 
figures,  of  course,  I  cannot  judge,  but  of  the  inunense 
volume  of  the  transactions  between  State  and  State, 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  and,  as  little  in  my  mind,  knowing 
what  I  do  of  the  resources  of  Canada,  that  were  these 
mischievous  impediments  to  the  natural  course  of  busi- 
ness quite  got  rid  of,  you  would  see  precisely  the  same 
results  as  you  now  see  between  sections  of  your  own 
country,  and  that  in  a  very  few  years  your  trade  with 
Canada  would  treble  and  quadruple — would  increase  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  till  it  became  a  close  second,  if,  indeed. 


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it  were  si  sei'Oiul,  to  your  preficut  trtulti  with  Enghiiul, 
Avlio  is,  as  you  know,  by  very  far  the  hirgest  of  your 
customers.    (Applause). 

What  auk  the  ( )iJSTA('LKf<i  ? 

And  now,  sir,  if  this  he  so — and  T  (udy  speak  of  what  I 
helieve  (;annot  fail  to  be  the  issue  of  such  a  ])roject  as  I 
luive  foreshadowed — if  this  be  so,  what  obstacle  stands  in 
<air  way  ?  What  K^ason  is  there  why  you  and  wc  should 
not  alike  be  benefited  and  enriched  'i  As  far  as  T  can 
l)erceive,  they  rest  nuiinly,  not  with  the  men  of  business, 
but  Avith  the  politicians.  Certain  sinister  interests  at 
Ottawa  mute  to  denounce  this  im)ject  because  it  Avill  lead 
to  annexation.  Certain  politicians  at  AVashington,  on  the 
other  hand,  denounce  the  lU'oject  because  it  will  destroy 
all  inclination  to  annexation.  (Laughter).  Such  state- 
meuts  may,  perhaps,  be  left  to  answer  each  other,  thougli 
I  may  observe  that  it  is  paying*  a  poor  eomiilimeut  to  the 
institutions  of  the  United  States  to  argue,  that  the  better 
Canadians  become  acquainted  with  them,  the  less  likely 
they  are  to  invite  political  union.  But  there  is  one  thing, 
Mr.  Chairman,  which  is  tolerably  certain,  and  that  is,  that 
the  very  best  way  to  repress  all  disposition  to  annexation, 
and  to  enlist  every  feeling  of  manliness  and  self-respect 
against  any  such  proposal,  is  to  make  it  a  matter  of  bar- 
gain and  sale,  and  to  iiropose  to  the  people  of  Canada  to 
barter  their  allegiance  for  certain  trade  ])rivileges. 

Voluntary  Connection  with  (Ireat  Britain. 

Gentlemen,  we  have  our  history,  our  traditions,  our 
asi)iratious,  just  as  you  have  yours,  and  there  are  a  couple 
of  facts  connected  with  the  past  and  present  history  of 


■iUSUlVnEVIMH 


u 


('auada  wliich  it  may  be  as  well  to  bear  in  mind.  The 
first  is,  that  the  allegianee  of  Canada  to  Great  Britain  is 
l>urely  and  absolntely  volnntary.  West  of  the  K.ival 
Station  of  Halifax,  there  is  not  to-day  one  single  British 
soldier  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Dominion, 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  British  statesmen 
of  all  ranks  have  been  even  ostentatious  in  i)roclaiming 
that  Canada  is  entirely  mistress  of  her  own  destinies. 
The  second  is,  that  although,  from  the  early  part  of  this 
<ientury,  every  intelligent  Canadian  has  been  convinced 
that  the  material  ])rosi)erity  of  Canada  would  have  been 
greatly  advanced  by  our  union  with  the  United  States  ; 
yet  three  generations  have  come  and  gone  without  any 
political  party  making  annexation  a  plank  in  its  platform, 
and  witliout  (me  public  man  of  note  being  found  to  advo- 
<nite  it — at  any  rate  during  the  time  he  was  a  public  man. 

The  MoNi.Y  Motivk  >ot  Alone  Moves. 

Sir,  great  is  the  almighty  dollar,  no  doubt.  Saints  and 
sinners,  parsons  and  politicians,  alike  know  this,  and  I 
am  in  no  wise  disposed  to  deny  it.  But  after  all,  there 
are  other  considerations  to  be  taken  into  accoiuit  in 
questions  whicli  affect  the  life  or  honor  of  a  nation.  Mr. 
Obairman,  I  am  speaking  to  citizens  of  a  nation  which 
is  alleged  by  its  critics  to  be  as  devoted  to  the  worship 
of  the  golden  calf  as  most  others,  and  yet,  sir,  it  is 
scarce  twenty-live  years  since  this  same  nation,  when 
its  national  existence  was  menaced,  showed,  as  no 
other  people  within  tliis  century  have  shown,  that  in 
such  a  cause  the  people  of  the  TTnited  States  could 
lavish  blood  and  treasure  without  stint  and  without 
grudge — aye,  and  reward  the  survivors  ot  that  fierce 


I 


11 


i' 


sti'uggle  witli  a  luuniftceiice  wlilcli  puts  to  shame  all  the 
generosity  whieh  kings  or  princes  have  ever  shown  to 
those  who  served  them  in  their  need,  ((xreat  applause.) 
I  have  neither  the  power  nor  the  wish  to  indulge  in 
prophesy.  Xo  man  knows  what  may  hapi)en  even  in  the 
near  future,  but  I  do  venture  to  say,  that  if  Canada 
and  the  United  States  are  to  be  united  together,  other 
questions  and  other  considerations  must  come  into  play 
than  that  of  ampler  and  freer  trade  relations  between  th(» 
two  countries,  important  as  1  believe  it  to  be  in  many 
ways. 

Dealing  on  iU:siNEss  IVrinciples. 

For  the  present,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  think  this  matter  had 
best  be  dealt  with  on  business  principles,  and  on  its 
merits.  I^et  statesmen  on  both  sides  consider  it  on  that 
basis.  If  it  be  found  (as  I  fully  believe  it  will)  to  be  for 
our  mutual  advantage,  let  us  have  it,  and  if  not,  not ; 
though  I  for  one  will  continue  even  then  to  think  that  we 
are  standing  in  our  own  light,  and  that  in  truth  and  in 
fact,  if  we  come  to  know  each  other  better,  we  will  soon 
find  a  way  to  agiee.     (Cheers.) 

What  is  most  needed,  after  all,  is  to  bring  the  two  coun- 
tries more  directly  into  contact.  There  is  no  reason  1 
shcmld  not  say  here  to  you  what  I  have  not  hesitated  to 
say  on  tlie  tloor  of  the  Canadian  Parliament,  or  in  the 
chambers  of  English  ministers  of  state,  that  it  is  time, 
and  much  inore  than  time,  that  these  old-world  barriers 
and  tedious  relics  of  the  Circumlocution  Office  which  are 
now  interposed  between  Canada  and  the  TTnited  States 
should  be  swept  away.  I  take  your  Government  as  T 
have  found  it  during  my  own  five  years'  tenure  of  office. 


113 


and  1  liavo  never  hesitated  to  assure  my  countrymen  tliat, 
while  there  might  likely  enough  be  bickerings  and  mis- 
understandings, which  the  present  system  of  referring 
every  trifling  cause  of  grievance  trom  pillar  to  i)ost — from 
Washingtou  to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  from  St.  James  to 
Ottawa,  from  Ottawa  to  St.  James,  and  so  back  to  Wash- 
ington— was  permitted  to  endure  ;  yet  were  we  once  iu  a 
position  to  deal  directly,  we  woidd  tind  the  United  States 
not  only  a  great  iiatiou  but  a  generous  nation,  and  quite 
ready,  if  i^roperly  iippealed  to,  to  deal  ftiirly  with  us,  if 
we  on  our  side  were  prepared  to  deal  fairly  with  them. 
(Great  applause.)  It  is  for  these  reasons,  among  others, 
that  I  have  advocated  the  necessity  for  (Canada  to  obtain 
the  power  of  negotiating  her  own  commercial  treaties,  and 
of  being  directly  represented  at  Washington  in  some 
form  or  other,  as  well  as  the  expedience  of  entering  into 
closer  trade  relations  with  the  United  States. 


A  Mutual  Advantage. 

And  now,  gentlemen,  in  conclusion  let  me  say  that  Avhile 
I  am  well  aware  this  matter  is  of  necessity  of  more  import- 
ance to  us  than  to  you,  inasmuch  as  the  trade  of  sixty- 
five  millions  is  of  more  moment  to  live  millions,  than  the 
trade  of  live  millions  can  be  to  sixty-five  millions,  yet  I 
believe  that,  man  for  nmn,  quite  as  many  of  your  citizens 
will  profit  by  a  free  interchange  of  commodities  as  ours 
can  do.  Be  that  as  it  may,  you  may  rest  assured  that 
when  I  say,  that  the  i)rosperity  and  welfare  of  the  i>eople 
of  the  United  States  are  desired  by  us  (next  only  to  the 
welfare  of  the  i)eople  of  Canada),  I  use  no  words  of 
empty  compliment.  It  is  not  merely  that  your  prosperity 
is  almost  essential  to  that  of  ('anada,  but  so  close  is  the 


I 


13 

coniioction  between  us,  that  in  many  distriets  ')f  Canada, 
there  is  scarcely  one  sinj;le  family  to  be  found,  which 
has  not  a  near  kinsman  in  some  portion  of  the  United 
States,  till  it  has  come  to  this,  that  I  believe  one  man  in 
four,  if  not  one  man  in  three,  of  the  whole  adult  male  popu- 
lation of  (^.anada,  born  within  the  last  fifty  years,  are  to-day 
citizens  of  the  United  States.  Sir,  if  blood  be  thicker 
than  water,  no  man  can  doubt  that  Canadians  nuist  wish 
well  to  a  country  w^hich  has  aft'orded  a  home  to  so  many  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  intelligent  of  our  people.  Trade 
or  no  trade,  we  cannot  help  being  kinsfolk,  and  I  hope  we 
cannot  help  being  friends.     (Loud  cheers). 

At  the  conclusion  of  Sir  Richard's  speech,  the  proposal 
to  elect  him  an  honorary  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade 
and  Transportation,  >\;as  adopted  by  the  whole  audience 
on  a  standing  vote,  and  amid  enthusiastic  cheers. 


hm 


